


Friends Don't Charge

by sacredflame



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Domestic Violence, Friendship, Language, References to Drugs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-02-16 10:10:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18689383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sacredflame/pseuds/sacredflame
Summary: Every day on his way home from class, Roxas walked by a homeless man playing the violin. He typically dropped a few dollars in the man's violin case and continued on his way. Until one day, when Roxas stopped to listen.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this lovely artwork: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/396739048423367188/
> 
> Special thanks to ThunderLordess (DA) for bouncing ideas back and forth, and for beta-reading!

_Hey, how’d it go?_  


Roxas looked up from his phone long enough to take a quick sip of his coffee, the heat on his tongue and the buzz of caffeine enough to keep him awake—for now.

 _Boring._ He absent-mindedly typed, smirking a bit. _I don’t know where they keep finding these dusty old fossils._

He hit send before taking another swig. He really had to get to bed early tonight. Once he finished his calculus homework. And studied for that psych exam.

A buzz brought him back to his phone. 

_I found Professor Ansem to be extremely knowledgeable. Didn’t you read his essay on the inner workings of the heart?_

Roxas huffed, then typed. _Ven. Dude. I am running on three hours of sleep and four cups of coffee. My brain shut off at “Does anyone know the properties of a pure heart?” Booooooooring!_ He hit send and stuffed the phone in his pocket, staring at the crosswalk meter until it turned green.

Right on cue, the distant thrums of a violin reached his ears. His phone buzzed, but went ignored as Roxas fished around in the pocket of his jeans. Finally, he pulled out a few dollars and tucked them into his palm. Rounding the corner, he spotted the man playing, standing at his usual spot in front of the mini-mart. While the man was in as rough shape as his violin, with dirt smudges and tears adorning his clothes, he played beautifully. He hit a sour note every so often, but never seemed to care.

__Typically Roxas dropped a few dollars in his violin case while walking by, but today, he stopped and listened to the music rather than writing it off as ambient noise. The violinist’s movements were like fire, or a candle, Roxas thought after a few minutes. They were unpredictable, and he couldn’t decide whether the man’s motions were heated, or if he was just passionate as he slid a worn-out bow across some equally worn-out strings. Several more strokes of the bow, and Roxas recognized what song the violinist was playing. A warm feeling surged through his chest as he found himself caught up in the chorus._ _

__“All I fear means nothing,” Roxas murmured before reaching into his wallet and grabbing the rest of his cash. It wasn’t much, only fifteen dollars or so. He leaned over and deposited it in the violin case. The violinist didn’t stop playing. He didn’t even open his eyes, swept away in the chorus of the song. Roxas continued on, whistling the tune the rest of the way home._ _

* * *

__

__“Hey, I’m back!” Roxas kicked off his shoes, swinging his backpack off his shoulder before dumping it on the floor._  
_

__“Glad you’re home!” Ventus’s voice drifted through the air. “Would you mind helping me with something?” Roxas sighed. He wouldn’t exactly call their tiny apartment home. Two people barely fit in the kitchen. At least they had their own bedrooms and the bathroom was fully functional. Although they really needed to do something about that moldy patch on the ceiling that seemed to be getting bigger with each passing week. Roxas walked in and was met with the sight of Ventus perched on top of a stool, measuring tape in hand._ _

__Roxas stared. “What are you doing?”_ _

__“Didn’t you get my text?” Ventus asked._ _

__“Oh, right.” Roxas’s hand went to the phone in his pocket. He never actually looked at it after it buzzed that last time._ _

__“Well, never mind, you’re here now,” Ventus said. “I’m trying to get the height of the window. Finally going to get some good curtains! But I can’t get an accurate measurement with just me.” He gestured toward his head and then toward the ceiling. “Too short.”_ _

__“Only you would get excited about new curtains,” Roxas muttered, taking the end of the measuring tape and placing it at the bottom of the window._ _

__“Okay, hold it!” Ventus stretched as high as he could. “Got it! Thanks!” He jumped off the stool, letting go of the tape, which proceeded to snap shut on Roxas’s fingers._ _

__“Agh!” Roxas jerked away, shaking his hand. “Ven, what the hell?”_ _

__“Wha?” Ventus looked up from his notebook, spotting the rising welt on his twin’s hand. “Oh, sorry Roxas! Do you-”_ _

__“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” Roxas waved him off before standing up and heading to his room. “I’m gonna get some homework done before the caffeine wears off.”_ _

__“Sounds good,” Ventus said as he scribbled away in his notebook. “By the way, Prompto’s coming for a visit in a couple days.”_ _

__Roxas paused in front of his room. “He is? Alright!”_ _

__Ventus nodded. “Although he’ll have to work a bit. He’s got a client in the downtown district. Probably a wedding or something.”_ _

__“Eh, fine by me.” Roxas hooked his fingers around the doorknob, swinging on it a bit. “We both got class anyways. He’s gotta show us the pictures he took of Destiny Islands though-” A crack sounded out as the knob broke off into Roxas’s hand, the screws hitting the ground like metal confetti. “Oops.”_ _

__“Aw man!” Ventus groaned. “Guess I’ll be adding a new doorknob to the shopping list.”_ _

__“Sup cousins!” The door swung open, revealing a head of spiky brown hair._ _

__“Hey Sora,” Roxas waved, knob still in hand._ _

__Sora stared. “Isn’t that supposed to be in the door?”_ _

__“Wow gee, I had no idea!” Roxas turned the knob uselessly in the air a couple times. “No wonder it doesn’t work!”_ _

__“Hey!” Sora puffed out his cheeks. Someone cleared their throat behind him. “Oh oops! Sorry Riku!” He stepped inside, allowing Riku in, who shut the door behind them. Sora tossed his backpack on the ground and leapt onto the couch next to Ventus, who squawked before frantically scrubbing an eraser across the page. “You guys mind if Riku hangs here for a bit?” Sora asked as he loped his legs over the back of the couch._ _

__“Isn’t he already here?” Roxas asked in a deadpan voice._ _

__“Uhhhhhh… yeah,” Sora said sheepishly._ _

__“Sure, whatever,” Roxas said as Ventus nodded in agreement._ _

__“Sweet!” Sora turned towards his friend. “Riku, don’t stand there like a stick in the mud! Chill out for a bit!” He gestured at the couch with a flailing arm, eliciting another sound of protest from Ventus._ _

__“Sure.” Riku moved to take a seat in a nearby recliner, pausing to toss his backpack on top of Sora, and by extension, Ventus._ _

__“Dude, this thing weighs a ton!” Sora sputtered as Ventus moved to the kitchen table to write in his notebook in peace._ _

__Roxas rolled his eyes and nudged his door open before going in and shutting it behind him. Or, mostly shut it. Didn’t quite work the same way without a knob._ _

* * *

__

__Roxas yawned and resumed his bleary-eyed glaring at the psych textbook. “Just eight more pages, come on.” He smacked himself in the face a few times._  
_

__“Oi, Roxas!” Sora’s voice drifted through the door. “Want some pizza?”_ _

__“Hell yeah.” He stood up and made his way to the kitchen, the smell of pepperoni and garlic making his mouth water. He barely heard the conversation going on as he wolfed down several slices._ _

__“He’s not even listening, dude.”_ _

__“Roxas!”_ _

__“Wha?” Roxas looked up with half a slice hanging out of his mouth._ _

__“Sheesh.” Ventus stared at him. “You that starving? Did you forget to eat lunch again?” His eyes narrowed._ _

__“Ummm… Maybe?” Roxas couldn’t actually remember._ _

__“You gotta take better care of yourself, man,” Sora said._ _

__“Says the one who had donuts for lunch,” Riku snorted._ _

__“Hey!” Sora leaned over and lobbed a leftover pizza crust at him. “For your information, they were maple bars!!”_ _

__“Yeah, that’s so much better,” Riku said, the crust just barely missing his head._ _

__Roxas gulped down one last bite and stood up. “Well, as wonderful as this fine dining is, I gotta get back to studying.”_ _

__“No problem,” Ventus said. “Sora will be cleaning up the kitchen tonight anyways.” Sora pouted. Ventus huffed. “I don’t see anyone else throwing their food around like a baboon.”_ _

__“Well, you got me there,” Sora said with a grin. The sound of clanking dishes followed Roxas as he returned to his room._ _

__“Eight pages, eight pages, can you do that brain?” Roxas muttered as he stared at the textbook once again. He made it through two before resting his head on the desk. Why did everything become so comfy when you were exhausted? The thought barely flickered through his mind before he fell asleep._ _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mishap will cause Roxas to finally talk to the mysterious violinist.

A loud blaring startled Roxas from his sleep. And out of the desk chair. Lying flat on the floor, he flailed a bit while trying to get his bearings.

“What the actual hell-” He started, only to be met with his cousin’s wild laughter.

Sora stood over him, air horn in one hand and phone barely gripped in the other as he struggled to catch his breath. “Oh man, Roxas, that was-” he sputtered out before doubling over, gasping for breath as tears starting running down his face.

“Sora, you little shit!” Roxas lunged at him. With a high-pitched squeak, Sora was out the door, sprinting for the safety of the bathroom. The lock clicked right as Roxas reached the door. “You can’t hide in there forever!” he yelled, pounding on the solid wood.

“Nobody home!” the door wheezed in response.

“You better watch your back,” Roxas muttered before he went back to his room and looked at the clock. “Aw crap!” How was it past 9? Then again, he had fallen asleep before he could set an alarm. Roxas threw on a hoodie and bolted out of his room. At the other end of the hall, he caught a glimpse of brown spikes right before Sora’s door slammed shut. Deciding that getting to class was more important, Roxas practically flew through his morning routine as ideas of getting back at Sora swam through his mind. He was deciding whether to put bleach in Sora’s shampoo bottle or steal his clothes and set off the fire alarm when he noticed a small paper bag on the counter. Inside was a ham sandwich, starfruit slices, a granola bar, and a note.

_So you don’t forget to eat lunch! –Ven_

Roxas wanted to be annoyed, but couldn’t help but smile. “You my mother or something?” he murmured and put the bag in his backpack.

* * *

Roxas just barely made it to class in time. Luckily, people tended to get out of the way when you’re sprinting like your life depended on it. His did, anyways. Just two more quarters and he’d be done with his credentials, moving up to the higher level classes he was actually interested in. But for now, he was stuck in lecture after lecture, listening to Professor Vexen drawl on about the connections between the mind and the heart. By the end of the hour, Roxas decided that he’d rather jump off the town’s clock tower than have to repeat any of these classes.

Calculus wasn’t as bad. He enjoyed the challenge and it was in an actual classroom. Plus, no one dared to goof off in any class taught by Professor Lexaeus. The towering man looked like he belonged in a wrestling ring rather than a college classroom. Roxas tried to eat lunch as quietly as possible, but Professor Lexaeus looked over at him after the first few crinkles from the paper bag.

_Sorry, _Roxas mouthed. The professor gave a small _humph_ and turned back to the board. Roxas moved as slowly as possible as he placed the bag in his backpack. He was positive one light smack from Professor Lexaeus would put him in a coma. And he was not going to miss finals and have to repeat the quarter, no sir.__

__

__

____Once class was over, Roxas practically ran across the plaza to the best place on campus: The Chamber of Waking. A little bell rang as he pushed open the door, the smell of coffee beans greeting him like an old friend._ _ _ _

____“Hey Roxas!” A tall guy with brown hair waved from behind the counter. “The usual?”_ _ _ _

____“Sup Terra? And yes please,” Roxas said, trying not to salivate over the fresh grounds being poured into an espresso machine._ _ _ _

____“Naminè told me that she didn’t see you this morning,” Terra said as he scraped the last bit of grounds out of a cup. “I thought you went and keeled over from exhaustion.”_ _ _ _

____“Naw, I was just running late.” Alarm shot through him. “Oh crap, did I forget…?” Roxas yanked out his wallet and rifled through it, sighing in relief when he found his student card. “Now that would have sucked.”_ _ _ _

____“You that dependent on coffee?” Terra laughed. “With how much you come here, I would have given it to you on the house.”_ _ _ _

____Roxas smirked. “Maybe I should forget it tomorrow then? And the day after that?”_ _ _ _

____“Hey, don’t bite the hand that gives you free coffee!” Terra stuck a large cup under the spout. “Besides, Naminè would skin me alive if she caught on. And believe me, she would notice!”_ _ _ _

____“Alright,” Roxas said. “But if I notice her carrying around a new leather-bound sketchbook, a great memorial will be held in your honor.”_ _ _ _

____“Please!” Terra scoffed as he dispensed the life-saving liquid into the cup. “She’d go after you first. Make you disappear.”_ _ _ _

____“Then we’ll have to rely on Ven to avenge us.” Roxas scanned his student card and took the drink from Terra. Nice and hot, just like he preferred. “Thanks.” He gave him a little nod and headed out the door._ _ _ _

____“Have a good rest of your day!” Terra called._ _ _ _

____Roxas waved back and started the walk home. Even though Terra was technically more of Ventus’s friend, he was a good guy. Although anyone who could make an excellent latte was good in Roxas’s book. He took a tiny sip, recoiling when it burned his tongue. Roxas sighed. Looks like he would have to wait for the caffeine boost a little longer._ _ _ _

____The strums of a violin snapped him out of his daydreaming. Walking around the corner, the red-haired man came into view, eyes closed as he guided the bow across the worn violin. Roxas stopped a few feet away, watching him. It was a different song today, one that the man played fairly often. It didn’t sound like any song Roxas knew. Yet the high, cascading melody carried a certain sadness in it, or maybe it was longing. Loneliness. Whatever it was, it made Roxas want to float away with the ascending notes._ _ _ _

____Gripping his coffee in a couple fingers, Roxas took his wallet out and leafed through it. No cash. He groaned inwardly. He had been so focused on planning Sora’s demise that he forgot to put a few bucks in his wallet this morning._ _ _ _

____“Yo, watch your coffee-” a voice began right as Roxas felt a sharp pain on his arm._ _ _ _

____“Godammit!” He righted the cup before inspecting his hoodie, groaning at the brown stains all over the left sleeve._ _ _ _

____The violin stopped. “You okay there, man?” Roxas looked up and was met with a pair of lime-green eyes. He hadn’t actually seen the violinist open them before._ _ _ _

____“Yeah I’m fine. You did try to warn me,” he said, trying to shake some of the liquid off his sleeve._ _ _ _

____“Here.” The man shifted his bow and violin to one hand before fishing a crumpled napkin out of his pocket, holding it out to Roxas. He stared. “It’s unused,” the violinist said. “I may live on the streets, but I’m not unhygienic.” He looked down at his dirt-streaked pants and torn jacket. “Well, where it counts anyways.”_ _ _ _

____“Thanks.” Roxas finally took the napkin and dabbed at his sleeve._ _ _ _

____“What was with the balancing act anyways?” the man asked._ _ _ _

____“I was looking for my cash,” Roxas said as coffee stained part of the napkin. “I usually put some in my wallet, but looks like I forgot today.”_ _ _ _

____The man’s eyebrows raised. “Wait a sec, you don’t mean the same money you toss in my case every day, do you?”_ _ _ _

____“Yeah,” Roxas shrugged. “Other than rent and coffee, it’s not like I spend it on anything else.”_ _ _ _

____“You mean you deliberately put money in your wallet every day just so you can give it to me?” The red-haired man stared at him with huge eyes._ _ _ _

____“Yep.” Roxas twiddled the coffee-logged napkin around in his fingers. “Besides, I like your music.”_ _ _ _

____The violinist looked genuinely touched. “Thanks man, I don’t know how to tell you how much I appreciate that.” He held out a hand. “The name’s Axel, got it memorized?”_ _ _ _

____“Roxas.” He took his hand, giving it a quick shake. “Look, I gotta get going. I’ll make sure I put extra money in my wallet tomorrow.”_ _ _ _

____“Hey, you’ve already done plenty for me, don’t go out of your way.” Axel waved an arm. “Seriously, don’t worry about it. I get by alright.”_ _ _ _

____“Okay, but I’m gonna do it anyways,” Roxas smirked. “See you tomorrow.” As Roxas continued on his way, the violin’s melody resumed. It sounded lighter now, like some of the weight had been lifted off._ _ _ _


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas learns a bit more about Axel, but not in a way he expected.

“Hey, I’m back!” Roxas called, shutting the door behind him and dumping his backpack on the floor.

“Sup dude?” a chipper voice answered.

“Prompto!” Roxas scampered in to find his older brother sprawled out on the couch. Prompto jumped up and wrapped his arms around him. “Alright, it hasn’t been that long.” Roxas ducked out of the too-tight embrace.

“Yes it has!” Prompto said, indignant at the loss of the hug. “You know how long I was out there trying to get those stupid pictures? Two weeks, dude! Two. Weeks.” He punctuated each word with a dramatic hand gesture.

“What was it you were trying to get again?”

“Shots of paopu fruit trees, but not just any shot!” Prompto then mimicked what Roxas could only guess was a British accent. “The sky must perfectly juxtapose the fruit in its natural splendor!” His hands and attempted accent dropped. “Note to self: buy a dictionary.”

“Wait, you can read?” Roxas said as he peeled off his hoodie, scowling at the stains.

Prompto sputtered a few times before coming up with a response. “At least I don’t dump coffee all over my clothes!”

Roxas smirked. “Gotta get through the day somehow.” He turned on the faucet and stuck the sleeve under the running water.

“Seriously though, are you so tired that you’re spilling stuff now?” Prompto asked, squinting at the soggy hoodie.

“Naw, I was distracted,” Roxas said. “I was going for my wallet and wasn’t paying attention. Turns out I forgot my cash anyways.” He scrubbed at the fabric. Maybe if he wished hard enough, the stains would disappear.

“Don’t you have your student card or something?” Prompto asked as he plopped into a chair.

“Yeah,” Roxas said. He squished the sleeve in his hands, letting the excess water drip into the sink. “But I always carry money. It’s for that homeless guy who plays violin in front of the mini-mart.” His brother let out a startled noise, causing Roxas to look over his shoulder. “Having trouble?”

Prompto coughed a few times, then cleared his throat. “Does he have red hair? And a grungy old violin?”

“Yeah?”

“Whoa, okay dude!” Prompto sprang up. “Be careful around that guy! He’s a former jailbird!”

“He is?” Roxas stared. Sure, Axel looked like a punk, but he’d been in jail?

“Yeah,” Prompto nodded like a wind-up toy. “He was in one or two of my classes back in University. But then he dropped out and soon after, got busted for assault and possession of illegal substances. Attacked some bigwig politician’s son or something. Was the talk of the campus for like two weeks.”

Roxas wasn’t sure what to think. Axel seemed so peaceful when he played, his music flowing through the air, making Roxas want to laugh and cry at the same time.

“Be careful around him, okay?” Prompto’s eyes were locked onto his. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be careful,” Roxas said, draping the soggy hoodie over one arm. “I’ll use Sora’s airhorn to fend him off.”

“Roxas, c’mon man, I’m serious!” His older brother glared daggers, trying to look intimidating. He looked more like a puppy trying to scare off an apathetic cat.

“Alright, fine, I’ll be careful,” Roxas said. “I’m gonna toss this in the laundry and do some homework.”

“Sounds good!” Prompto bounced over to the counter, worries forgotten. “Once Ven and Sora get home, I’ll make dinner.”

After tossing his hoodie in a laundry basket, Roxas sat at his desk and pulled out the dreaded textbook. “Alright, no falling asleep this time.” Yet every time he looked at a page, his mind wandered back to what Prompto said. Was Axel really that dangerous?

* * *

_THE NEXT DAY_

Roxas paused once he rounded the corner, far enough away so that Axel wouldn’t notice him, clenching the money between his fingers. He tried picturing the man in front of him getting into a brawl, beating someone badly enough to get charged for assault. The grimy hands that pulled a bow back and forth across some strings, could they have hurt somebody? Could the same guy he talked to yesterday be injecting stuff into his veins to make reality go away for a night? Roxas shook his head. _I’m just jumping to conclusions now,_ he thought. _Can’t believe I’m considering this, but I need to think more like Sora. Not assume the worst in people._

He walked over and dropped the money in the violin case. Axel hadn’t even opened his eyes, lost in the swirling strokes of music. “Hey.”

Axel’s eyes opened and the music cut off. “Hey, Roxas!” He leaned over and placed his violin against the case. “It’s good to finally know the name of the guy whose been paying for my dinner the last few months.” He shook out his fingers, attempting to chase away the stiffness caused by hours of uninterrupted playing. Roxas watched him, not saying anything. Axel noticed his stare and glanced downwards, frantically brushing at the grime stuck to his jeans. “Yeah, same outfit as yesterday. Don’t got a lot of choices, ya know?” Axel took off his cap, running a hand through layers of unruly red hair that seemed almost sentient, practically standing up in every direction.

Roxas finally spoke. “I’m gonna be direct, did you spend time in jail?”

Axel froze. “You normally start conversations this way?” His eyes wandered, looking at everything but Roxas. Silence lingered for several drawn-out seconds. Finally, Axel answered in a quiet voice. “Yeah, it’s a long story.”

“Then why don’t you tell me?” Roxas said. “I know we barely know each other and all, but it’s been driving me nuts. Let’s go to that ice cream place around the corner, there’s not many people there.”

“You really wanna know?” Axel’s voice stayed low.

“Yeah. I’ve heard stuff and there’s gotta be more to the story. I want to know the truth.”

Axel let out a dry laugh. “You’re about the only one who’s ever said that. You’re not worried about being alone with a criminal?”

Roxas shrugged. “No criminal I’ve ever heard of turned out to be an amazing musician. C’mon, I’m buying.”

“Alright.” Axel tucked his violin into its case, grabbed a grungy backpack, and trailed behind Roxas as they made their way to the ice cream shop.

A little bell chimed as the two walked in. Roxas looked around. The place was practically empty. Perfect.

“Why don’t you grab a table, I’ll get the ice cream,” Roxas said. “What flavor do you like?”

Axel glanced at the board and let out a startled noise. “They still have sea-salt ice cream?! Hell yeah! I love that shit!” A wide grin spread across his face.

Roxas tried not to look at the handful of customers now staring at them. “You actually like that stuff?”

“Hey, don’t knock it till you try it!” Axel lightly cuffed him on the shoulder. “Besides, it’s the only flavor as salty as I am!”

Roxas snorted. “Ah, so not very, then?”

“Alright Mr. Killjoy! I’ll find us a table and you get whatever boring-ass flavor you usually have.” Axel sauntered over to the other side of the shop. Roxas shook his head and went over to the counter. 

“What’ll it be?” the girl behind the counter asked.

Roxas scanned the board, caught between chocolate and strawberry when his eyes wandered over to the picture of sea-salt ice cream. “Is sea-salt any good?”

“Yes!” The girl’s face broke into a big smile. “Not many people are willing to try it, but it’s my personal favorite.”

“Alright then, two sea-salts, please.”

Roxas payed and walked over to the table. As he approached, Axel’s eyes lit up. “Waaaaaaait, I thought you said sea-salt ice cream was crap?”

“And I thought you said don’t knock it till you try it.” Roxas plunked the ice cream into Axel’s hand.

“That’s it, I’m proud of ya!” Axel clapped him on the back.

Roxas huffed and sat down. “See, this is how I know you’re not a thug. You’re too big of a dork.” He snickered at the glare Axel gave him, or tried to give him between nibbles of ice cream. The two ate in silence for a couple minutes.

Once he was finished, Axel placed the empty stick on the table and sighed. “Alright, guess I’ll start at what led up to the fight.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Axel begins sharing his past and what sparked his passion for music.
> 
> Warning: domestic violence and emotional abuse in this chapter

“When I was a kid.” Axel stared at the discarded ice cream stick lying uselessly on the table. “I wanted, more than anything, to be just like my older brother. Our dad was hardly ever home and when he was, he was always shut away in his office. So I saw my brother as a role model. Reno could pick up any instrument and play it like he had been his entire life.”

“Wait!” Roxas held up a hand as he coughed on his last bite of ice cream. Finally, he cleared his throat. “Reno, like the lead singer of The Turks, Reno?!”

“Yeah.” Axel said, expressionless. “He’s my older brother. Hard to imagine, isn’t it? That I’m related to a millionaire rockstar who sells out every venue he goes to. Meanwhile his failure of a brother lives on the streets with barely a penny to his name.”

“Don’t talk about yourself like that.” Axel glanced up, caught off-guard by the intensity in Roxas’s eyes. “Maybe you’re not an uber-famous rockstar like your brother. That doesn’t give you any less value than him.”

“You sure about that? I doubt Reno has ever had to dig through the garbage to find something to keep warm with.” Axel absentmindedly ran his fingers across the tattered scarf around his neck. 

Roxas opened his mouth but nothing came out. How was he supposed to respond to something like that? 

“Sorry,” Axel muttered. “I’m supposed to be telling you my tragic backstory. Like I was saying, I would have done anything to be like Reno, even as a little kid. Unfortunately, he got sick of his annoying little shadow pretty quickly.

* * *

“I’m busy, go bother someone else, brat,” Reno said, barely glancing up from a sheet of music as he tuned a guitar.

“But I wanna play with you Reno!” Axel said, giving the saddest puppy-dog eyes he could manage.

“You really think I have time to play some stupid game with you?” Reno scoffed.

“No I wanna play music with you!” Axel practically bounced up and down. For the last few weeks he had been mustering up the courage to ask Reno, and was finally ready.

“Wha?” Reno actually looked up and made eye contact. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting you touch any of my instruments!” Axel deflated as his brother continued. “And if I ever catch you in here, there’ll be hell to pay, got it?”

Axel’s eyes began welling up. “But I wanna play like you,” he said in a tiny voice.

“Would you just leave already?” Reno glared. Axel didn’t move, too focused on trying not to cry. Reno groaned and stood up, going across the room to a dusty cabinet. After nearly a minute of rummaging and irritated grumbles, he emerged with a violin. “If I give this to you, will you leave me alone?”

Axel was too stunned to reply. An instrument? Of his very own? The violin was missing a string and covered in dents and scratches, complete with a frazzled bow, but to him, it might as well have been made of gold.

“R-really? I can have this?”

“Yeah, just quit bothering me, leave.” Reno shoved the violin into Axel’s hands and nudged him out the door, shutting it in his face. Axel stared at his new treasure for several minutes. Then he hugged it to his chest and scampered off to his room, eager to begin playing.

* * *

“It was his old violin from middle school band class.” Axel remained fixated on a gray stain on the table for the last few minutes. “It was beat up pretty badly. Probably fell victim to one of his many tantrums. But I didn’t care.” Axel’s eyes wandered over to his violin case, a softer look crossing his face. “I finally had a way to be like my brother. He probably thought it would keep me busy enough to stay away from him. But it had the opposite effect. I wanted to play music with him more than ever.” Axel’s gaze hardened. “Except violins don’t belong in a rock band, he always said.” He picked up the ice cream stick, absentmindedly turning it over in his fingers. “For awhile, I thought my name was Lea. That’s what Reno always called me. But eventually I realized he was telling me ‘leave’.”

* * *

“The hell are you doing?” 

Axel froze at the icy voice. He whirled around to be met with his brother towering over him, an angry glare on his face. “N-nothing, Reno, I was just looking—”

The glare intensified. “What’s behind your back?”

Axel paled, trying to keep his arm from shaking. “Nothing!”

Reno stepped forward, causing Axel to take a step back without realizing. “What’s in your hand? What’d you do?”

Quivering, Axel brought the guitar out from behind his back. Reno snatched it, his eyes immediately closing in on the dented shoulder. “How many times have I told you to stay out of this room, brat? Well?!” He turned on Axel, eyes filled with rage. “I gave you that old violin so you’d stay out of here, and now look at what you did! You think this is a toy you little shit?!” he yelled, brandishing the guitar like a club.

“I’m sorry!” Axel cried as tears began running down his face. “I didn’t mean to! It was an accident!”

Reno grabbed his wrist and yanked him out the door, practically dragging him down the stairs towards their father’s office. A particularly rough pull from Reno caused Axel’s foot to miss the last step, sending him crashing to the floor. A loud crack split the air, followed by a shrill scream.

“Shut it! You’re fine!” Reno snarled. Axel only sobbed as he curled in on himself, shielding the arm that was bent at an awkward angle.

“The hell is going on?!” Axel wiped his eyes with his good arm to see their father standing in the doorway to his office. Axel couldn’t remember the last time the door had been open.

“Tell the brat to stay away from my stuff!” Reno held out the dented guitar. “Look at what he did!”

Their father’s eyes locked onto Axel, who still lay sniffling on the floor. “And look at what you did.” He knelt down and inspected the arm. “Probably dislocated. Axel, the butler will take you to the hospital. Reno, you are not to leave the house for the next two weeks.” Reno started protesting. “And you will apologize to your brother for hurting him. After that, there better not be any more disturbances. Got that?” His gaze traveled from Reno, who was red in the face, to Axel, who lay there gaping. “I have a meeting with the investors in two days and can’t take any more interruptions.” With that, their father turned and proceeded back into his office.

As Reno sputtered after him about the unfairness of it all, Axel kept staring, the pain shooting through his arm momentarily forgotten. For once, his father didn’t have a phone pressed to his ear, or his eyes glued to a screen. For several precious seconds, he held his father’s full attention. In the eight years of his life, Axel could count the number of times that happened on one hand, this being one of them.

* * *

“That’s horrible,” was all Roxas could say.

“It was life as usual to me,” Axel shrugged. “I pretty much gave up on trying to get close to Reno at that point. I had a new target. Now that I figured out how to get my dad’s attention, I was determined to keep it. And as I got older, I found more creative ways to do so.” He sighed, going back to staring at the old stain. “At the same time, I started to realize that I would never amount to anything more than the family joke.”

* * *

“Fighting at school? I expect better of you, Axel.” His father’s voice reached him just as he rested a hand on his bedroom doorknob. Axel turned around to be met with a disapproving frown. 

Folding his arms, Axel leaned against the door with a huff. “Wasn’t my fault.”

“I don’t care whose fault it was. You broke your classmate’s nose.”

“Yeah,” Axel said, a glimmer of pride surging through him. “He called me a red hedgehog-looking freak. Gave him what he deserved.”

“The boy is in the hospital,” his father continued, a stone-cold expression crossing his face. “Have you thought about what this will do to your reputation? To mine? People will think I’m raising a delinquent.”

“Didn’t know Reno was home from college,” Axel mumbled.

“What was that?” The stone-cold had now reached his father’s voice.

“Nothing!” Axel slowly reached for the doorknob. “Can I go now?”

His father glowered. “While I was on the phone with your school, they informed me of your grades. Are you even trying? When your brother was your age, he was at the top of his class.” Axel began to twist the knob. His father’s eyes zoned in on him like a hawk. “And don’t even think of getting out of this conversation. We’re not through yet.” Axel released his grip. So much for an early escape. “I expect to see your grades improve within the next three weeks. You will spend two extra hours studying every day until then. Got it?”

“Yes sir,” Axel muttered and ducked into his room. Sighing, he slung his backpack on the floor and reached under the bed for his violin case. Only it wasn’t there. “What?” Axel groped around, his hands coming up with nothing. He sprang up and bolted down the hall after his father. “Have you seen my violin?” he called right as his father was entering the office.

“You will get it back once your grades improve.” The door closed, indicating the conversation was over. Axel gaped, wanting to protest, to fight back, but no words came. Instead, he slumped his shoulders and went back to his room, slamming the door with a thundering bang.


End file.
